Smuggled cigarettes and raw tobacco materials worth ₱3.3 billion were confiscated by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) in Agusan del Norte province during a major operation aimed at curbing illicit trade that has been eroding government revenues in recent years. The seizure, involving 54 container...
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu - As the conflict in the Middle East threaten supply chains, Philip Morris International (PMI) has warned that it could trigger a major surge in the illicit trade of cigarettes, which may cost Southeast Asia billions in tax revenue should governments fail to respond Rodney van...
In a series of high-profile enforcement actions spanning nearly two months, law enforcement authorities across Luzon confiscated close to 700,000 sticks of illicit cigarettes, reinforcing the government’s campaign against counterfeit and illicit cigarettes under “Oplan Megashopper.” The...
With losses from illicit trade reaching nearly $2 billion annually, the local tobacco industry is calling for the creation of a composite strike force to ensure the imprisonment of offenders and deter the continued rise in illicit activity. On the sidelines of a Financial Times event which focused...
Authorities busted an online-enabled illicit vape operation in Bulacan, seizing over 18,000 vape products and counterfeit tax stamps due to a coordinated effort between the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). In a statement, BIR Commissioner Romeo...
With illegal tobacco incidence reaching an all-time high of 18.2 percent in 2024, Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI) has urged the Marcos administration to recalibrate tax rates to help reverse the declining state of the tobacco industry. The latest industry data showed that illicit cigarettes...
